Art of CAROLYN LAVENDER, MONICA AISSA MARTINEZ, AND MARY SHINDELL

Main menu

Tag Archives: landscape

“There is always the inflection point in a drawing-the point at which it takes on its own presence and becomes more than its content. There is also the point where others view it and it becomes their image. I know that if I create art, these points will occur, and I can work to control part of the process leading up to these points. Ultimately, however, not all of it is mine to control.” Mary Shindell

Mary explains Vector and Pixel files to me and another gallery visitor. And while I understand some things, I don’t understand all of what she says. To make it clear she describes how her lines are made. A Vector file makes a clean, intense line, she says as she shows me one and compares it to a pixellated line. Once I see the quality of the line, I understand. We discuss her digital drawings and compare them to traditional printmaking, both in quality and process. I suggest she teach a class ( teach me is what I really think).

There are three large works on paper, on the east wall of the gallery. Each of the compositions stands as a unique work though they connect directly through process. One design uses the other, and then again. Mary draws with graphite, inks, gouache, and she also draws using her computer.

Below are details from the large 42 x 42″ works on paper. Can you see how they connect? One is a digital photo of the original graphite drawing. The second is the original graphite drawing with added media, all completed by hand. The last one is computer generated and uses the other two.

Note: My photos are not perfectly aligned. I shoot the right side (first 3) and then the left (next 3 of the drawings.

Mary places the viewer above the work. We hover perhaps in space, and see the top view of a multi-layered landscape that in this case includes: the moon, the Estrella Mountains, and the beautiful Arizona flora.

I look closely at the work and identify elements but then I have to stand back to take it all in. The brilliant details captivate.

Along the west wall Mary shows a series of small drawings and digital prints. She explains she works things out on these smaller works in between stages of the larger works. Here are photos of two and a detail shot of a third.

I ask Mary about the title of the exhibition, Inflection Point. She explains the mathematical term. An inflection point is a point on a curve at which the curve changes from being convex to concave. I understand, I am familiar with the concept. She identifies it as a changing point, a point of transition.

I’ve known Mary for a long time – she continues to mesmerize me with her curiosity, her attention to detail and her growing skills. She is always on to something new and wonderful.

I will drop in to see the exhibition one more time – in case I missed anything.

Detail: Mesquite Beans, Moon

Inflection Point drawings opened this First Friday and will run to the end of the month.

I have been working on the color and the shadow of the mountain. The gradient mesh is the way I create the softness of shading that is an integral part of my drawing vocabulary. I have zoomed in to show the anchor points and gradients which are dropped into each point. When I work up close like this the piece becomes abstract to me. It is intimate in the same way that hand drawing on a large sheet of paper requires me to be right up in it. If digital drawing didn’t offer this kind of visual exploration it wouldn’t be half as interesting. It is easy to get lost in it.

This is my digital workspace. I have noted what each part of the screen contains. Sometimes the space becomes too crowded so I hide parts of it. I took this photo last week when I was just starting this layer, it is now finished.

This is a drawing I am working on for the January show. I photographed my computer tablet so you can see how I work. The part of the drawing that is red is the part I am working on for this post.

line layer

zooming in 200%

The scale is large 48 x 216″. As you can see, there is a lot of ground to cover. This layer is important because I will use it to create the color and tone in the drawing with live paint and the draw inside tool in Adobe Illustraitor. Because I know I want to use these tools it is important that I make each area a closed shape. That means no open forms.

zooming in to 400%

Notice all the open forms and overlapping lines-they were drawn as I was more concerned with building the form of the mountain. Now I am cleaning them up as a foundation for future manipulation.The whole drawing requires this kind of attention at this point so that I can push it farther as I continue to add imagery and drawing.

clean forms

Now the forms in this area are closed. I work back and forth horizontally across the picture plane. It will take about six days to clean up the entire drawing. Because I do the first part of the drawing with the Wacom Pen using the pencil tool it looks more free and loose and I like to have that as the base of the drawing -it does make the clean up a labor of love though.

This is what it looks like when I am working on one of my graphite drawings on prepared paper. I start by scraping layers of modeling paste across the paper with a putty knife. I like the way it takes the graphite and I can even scratch in tiny whites with knife blade. The drawing will be well traveled, it is headed for The Space Between show at Largo das Artes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.